Recovering a Local Desktop by Using the ‑V Option When the Desktop Was Modified in the Datacenter

When a local mode operation such as a check-out, check-in, or replication is performed, View validates that the View desktop's virtual machine in vCenter Server was not modified since the last synchronization with the local View desktop. If a virtual machine disk in vCenter Server was modified, and the disk is not the same as the local desktop version, you can use the vdmadmin command with the -V option to preserve data on the local desktop and vCenter Server virtual machine and ensure that both versions are synchronized.

When a View desktop is checked out, a snapshot is taken in vCenter Server to preserve the state of the virtual machine. The vCenter Server version of the desktop is locked so that no other users can access it.

If vSphere allows a virtual machine to be unlocked and the virtual machine is inadvertently powered on, the vCenter Server virtual machine in the datacenter and the local desktop are no longer synchronized. For example, a virtual machine might be unlocked during a vCenter Server upgrade.

When a local mode operation is initiated or resumed, View uses the virtual machine disk's content ID (CID) to track whether a vCenter Server disk was modified since the last synchronization between a vCenter Server disk and the corresponding local desktop disk. If the vCenter Server virtual machine in the datacenter and the local desktop are not the same, the local mode operation is stopped, and the user sees the following message:

This desktop has been modified at the datacenter. Please contact your system administrator.

You can recover the local desktop virtual machine, vCenter Server virtual machine, or both versions, depending on the local mode operation that was underway.

Recovering the Local Desktop Version of the Virtual Machine

If a desktop is fully checked out or a user is checking in or replicating a desktop, and the vCenter Server virtual machine is modified, the user might have valuable data on the local desktop.

You can recover the local desktop version by using the vdmadmin command with the -V -recoverClientVM option. This option reverts the vCenter Server virtual machine to the snapshot that was taken during the last synchronization. You can then instruct the user to start the check-in operation again.

Recovering the vCenter Server Version of the Virtual Machine

If a desktop is fully checked out or a user is checking out a desktop, and the vCenter Server virtual machine in the datacenter was modified, you might have installed applications or performed valuable updates on the vCenter Server virtual machine.

You can recover the vCenter Server version by using the vdmadmin command with the -V -recoverServerVM option. This option takes a new snapshot of the vCenter Server virtual machine, deletes the old snapshot, and rolls back the virtual machine. During a rollback, the local View desktop is discarded. You can then instruct the user to start the check-out operation again.

Recovering Both Versions of the Virtual Machine

In a special situation in which a desktop is fully checked out, and no check-in or replication was underway when the vCenter Server virtual machine was opened, you might want to preserve both the client and vCenter Server virtual machines. Perhaps valid, useful contents were created on both virtual machines. In vCenter Server, you can clone the vCenter Server virtual machine to preserve an identical copy. Next, you can use the vdmadmin command with the -V -recoverClientVM option to recover the client virtual machine.

Options

Options for Recovering the Client or vCenter Server Versions of a Local Desktop

Option

Description

-recoverClientVM

Recovers a local desktop virtual machine that resides on a client system. The vCenter Server virtual machine is reverted to the snapshot that was taken during the last synchronization.

-recoverServerVM

Recovers a vCenter Server virtual machine by taking a new snapshot of the virtual machine. The old snapshot is deleted. The virtual machine is rolled back, which discards the local desktop virtual machine.

-d

desktop_pool

Specifies the name of the desktop pool.

-m

virtual_machine

Specifies the name of the local desktop's virtual machine.

Examples

Recover a local desktop virtual machine that resides on a client system.

vdmadmin -V -recoverClientVM -d lmdtpool -m machine1

Recover a vCenter Server virtual machine and roll back the virtual machine.